Healthcare

Healthcare is a Human Right

The current health care system is fundamentally broken and working families are paying the price.

For many people, having insurance doesn't actually mean having affordable care. You're often required to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket before your insurance covers anything at all. That means people delay doctor visits, skip prescriptions, and avoid care they know they need.

On top of that, employer-based insurance traps workers in jobs they hate and can't afford to leave. People stay in positions they hate or that harm their health because losing a job can mean losing coverage and being one medical emergency away from bankruptcy.

For gig workers, freelancers, and contractors, health insurance plans are especially expensive. 70 million Americans fall under this category and are pushed onto high-cost marketplace plans or left uninsured altogether.

Meanwhile, insurance companies are financially rewarded for denying care. The fewer claims they approve, the more money they make. Let me be clear: it is more profitable for health insurance companies to deny the care you need than to provide it.

All of this results in medical debt being the leading cause of bankruptcy for individuals in the United States.

We already pay more than our fair share in healthcare costs. Despite what critics say, with the amount of money that people already spend on healthcare insurance, we could have an all-inclusive universal single-payer healthcare system. Our taxes can be invested directly back to us to cover our yearly check-ups, urgent medical emergencies, blood tests, dental care, mental health therapies, and eye care.

Medicare for All Would:

• Lower health care costs by reducing administrative bloat and corporate middlemen in the medical field
• Facilitate stronger negotiation around drug prices and give the government more leverage to do so
• Reduce paperwork and roadblocks for healthcare providers so they can focus on treating patients
• Help tackle the growing mental health crisis in our country
• Reduce risk for individuals who change jobs, are laid off, are self-employed, or start a new business
• Lower costs for small businesses

Medicare for All is the goal—every person deserves guaranteed health care. I also understand that meaningful change doesn't happen overnight. That's why I will fight for any legislation that lowers costs, expands coverage, and weakens the grip of insurance companies right now, while continuing to push toward a universal single-payer system.